SJP, screaming children and Dubai the divine

After a terribly tiresome journey I finally found a moment to sit down and write a blog. My jetlag is going away, which allows me to dive into the new environment. But first thing’s first, let’s start with my flight Down Under. OK, I was planning not to do that, but what the hell, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I have never flown before. Yeah, that’s right. It doesn’t actually mean I’ve never been to anywhere, it’s just that every time I went abroad it was either by car or a bus. Thanks to that and watching dozens of catastrophic movies, I can admit I was quite stressed before my first flight. In my head I could see the plane being hijacked by terrorists and crashing into a random building or just having some technical problems and ending in a deep, wide (let’s say Indian) ocean. Luckily, none of that happened. Instead, the crew had issues with a panicking mother who thought her 5 week old child was dying. Because of that, we had to land earlier than it was planned, which of course wasn’t that bad. It gave me some more time to spend at the airport in Munich so that I could get lost even more often, than I would normally do.

The flight to Dubai was more peaceful than the previous one but made me feel really tired. I can’t fall asleep in a sitting position so every long journey of mine is like a pain in the ***. Luckily, the food was good. We had some smoked salmon as an appetizer and a beef curry for the main course + a lot of other small, exotic dishes. Just as every other night flight, that one was also boring. However, the thought of flying above countries like Iraq, Iran, Kuwait seemed quite hypnotizing at the time. Although nothing could be seen outside the window, except for some distant lights, the whole situation seemed quite exotic to me. After 5 hours, the plain arrived in Dubai. Although it was probably something like 5 in the morning, it was one of the most intense experiences of my life. Dubai IS stunning. Completely breathtaking. I would really like to describe how it felt seeing that city from the air but it’s obviously impossible. Dubai is like a visual orgasm. Jaw dropping. Futuristic skyscrapers in the middle of a desert, with huge mansions surrounded by tropical green gardens with tons of sand just outside the fences. Looking at the city made me feel bodiless, as if nothing existed and Dubai was the only thing alive, radiating with its divine beauty. I never wanted to make a list of places I would like to visit, thought it was unnecessary and childish but after seeing Dubai for only a short period of time, I have to start writing down the names. It’s gonna be in TOP3.

The flight from Dubai to Brisbane was exhausting and I thought it would literally never end. It was great to see Dubai from plane once again. There were some other highlits like flying above India or Indonesia but overall the whole flight was just incredibly tiring. There were a lot of children crying hysterically for the whole 13 hours, which was totally pissing me off. If I weren’t as tired as I was, I may have had a nervous breakdown. But again, the food was good, a lot of things to choose from. I also watched “I don’t know how she does it” with SJP. Out of pure sympathy for Sarah I won’t write anything about that flick. Obviously it premiered, it flopped, it went to dvd and now you can watch it on a plane. FYI, you can only appreciate how Sarah can do it all. Unfortunately, some parents on the plane didn’t figure out the scheme yet.

At some point all the passengers were told to shut down the window thing, so that no light would come in. It was dark inside the plane and on the ceiling some tacky stars started to appear. Silly but kinda cute. Unfortunately I couldn’t fall asleep anyway so I ‘opened’ the window and on my right I could see the Sun, and above me there was a starry sky. Felt ridiculous.

I thought it was pretty interesting when during the day we were flying above the ocean and then got up up up, high in the air and when we flew back down it was already dark. I found it confusing, but then I’m not sure how the whole ‘time zone’ system works, so the only thing I can do is just admire that strange phenomenon.

After 13 hours of me trying to fall asleep, the plane finally got to Brisbane. The Sun started to appear on the horizon. Up in the sky I was looking down on the city’s suburbs and forests of trees I had never seen before. I was tired but enthusiastic. I knew the city would bring something new and unexpected to my life.

My 4th day in Brisbane is coming to an end as I’m writing this blog. Right now I know that what I felt on the plane is already starting to come true. I’m enchanted and feel like in a dream I never thought I would dream. When I was sitting on the grass in South Bank earlier this day, looking at hundreds of people walking by the river bank, ferries travelling up and down, exotic birds flying around and skyscrapers shining in the sun, I felt complete and peaceful like I have never felt before. For years I have been trying to clear my life of boredom, loneliness and emptiness. Right now my mind is clear and nothing’s bothering me. I’m truly happy. It’s just me and the city.

I’m gonna stop now. Next time I’ll write about my first days in Brisbane and everything that made me feel as wonderful as I do.

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This website gives you information about the joint mobility project "Border Crossings: People and Places", but also functions as the participating students' blog, where they reflect upon their experiences.